Shop, Dine AND Get Paid?
The advertisement, or email, is enticing: "you get paid and receive free meals, products and services from big name, recognized companies for your opinion because we need Professional Business Evaluators!"
Those who are looking for extra income can be tempted by advertisements to recruit "mystery shoppers". It is true that businesses nation wide use mystery shopping - also known as secret shopping, performance evaluations service monitoring and quality auditing - as a means to monitor service quality. But how does one earn money as a mystery shopper"
Market research firms, training companies, merchandisers, temp agencies and others specialize in recruiting mystery shoppers. Unfortunately, so do scam artists. People with the rights talents (attention to detail, skilled in communications and completing paperwork) can become paid mystery shoppers, if they avoid the "too good to be true" offers.
The BBB advises applicants to carefully research any "mystery shopper business. Understand whether the company is offering to employ you directly. If you are asked to instead to purchase training materials or a directory of companies that supposedly offer mystery shopping opportunities, exercise extreme caution. BBB experience show these can be unproductive avenues.
Look for reputable firms that:
- Qualify and train mystery shoppers to perform specific evaluations,
- Enjoy a good reputation with their clients and shoppers, and
- Do not charge a fee to submit an application.
To steer clear of get rich quick offers, the BBB advises mystery shopping applicants to:
- Ignore claims that you will make big profits easily. Mystery Shopping will not make you rich, at best it provides part time employment.
- Avoid falling for claims that "guarantee" a position, with training. Be cautious of unsolicited emails offering "work from home" opportunities.
- Never pay money up front. A legitimate mystery shopping service will not charge money for materials, training or recruiting.
- Obtain the name and physical address of the company, and check them out with the BBB.
For more detailed information about mystery shopping and what to epect visit the website of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association of North America at www.mysteryshop.org.